Yogis Uncovered | Meet Ian
From the quiet cornfields of Wisconsin to the bright lights of Los Angeles Ian’s path has been one of constant evolution. A former bodybuilder and actor who once used the stage to overcome his natural shyness, Ian turned to yoga a year ago after a sobering medical diagnosis revealed a spine twice his age. Now, he balances the physical challenges of the mat with a Stoic philosophy and a newfound appreciation for mental clarity. We caught up with Ian to discuss his transition to the big city, his journey toward body confidence, and why he finds the most discomforting poses to be the most rewarding. Subscribe to see his full interview!
“What really got me to dive into yoga was about a year ago. A friend of mine who’s a doctor looked at my X-ray results and said, ‘Well, you’re 53 and you have the spine of a 73-year-old.’ So, there you go. That’s what got me going.”
Hello, my name is Ian Taylor. I’m currently living in Los Angeles, California. I’ve kind of grown up all over the country. I moved around a lot, but most of those places were smallish towns. So when I first made my way to Miami, it was a huge eye-opening experience. A lot of different things to get used to compared to small towns. And then from Miami to the bigger city of Los Angeles. But, Miami definitely prepared me for LA. They’re just two different vibes between the cities.
Do you have any funny stories or interesting things from when you were growing up?
We got in trouble a lot when we lived just south of Madison, Wisconsin, in a small town. My brothers and I, we would get in trouble quite often. We had three-wheelers and ATVs going through the big snow drifts along the road. And of course, in the summer, there were the corn fields. So we would have what we call “corn wars”. We would be throwing corn at each other. One of my first jobs was detasseling corn. You’re on one of these machines where you’re riding along in between the rows and you’re taking the tassels off the top of the corn so it doesn’t blow in the wind and pollinate things that don’t need to be pollinated. So, Wisconsin was fun.
How long have you been doing yoga and how did you get into it?
One of my friends who’s a yoga instructor, this was years ago before I started, said, “the poses are just one small aspect of yoga”. So there’s much to learn. And I basically started because I was going to go to physical therapy for a shoulder rotator cuff thing. I played a lot of beach volleyball. What really got me to dive into yoga was about a year ago, [I had] some lower back and hip issues that took me into the X-ray room. The X-ray results were a list of things: arthritis everywhere, degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, a disc that’s out of place, and five more things that I didn’t understand. And a friend of mine who’s a doctor looked at my X-ray results and [said] “Well, you’re 53 and you have the spine of a 73-year-old”. So, there you go. That’s what got me going.
What’s your favorite yoga pose?
I think a lot of what I’m drawn to regarding some of the poses are the ones that I struggle with. Like the triangle pose, [with] the twisting, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, this is really uncomfortable”. But many of the poses related to the hips, they’re very challenging. Poses that are challenging for me tend to be a little bit more interesting.
What are the emotional or mental benefits of practicing yoga?
I definitely love the mental aspect of yoga as much as the physical part. The physical part seems to be the most challenging, especially if some of your parts aren’t working all that great. And I guess that the mental side is also very challenging because I think you have to be willing to allow it into you to then benefit from it. Sometimes if we have a shield up or a wall up, then that might prevent us from benefiting from certain things as much as we could.
How did you become comfortable being naked?
I think for the most part, my general makeup as a human, I tend to be more on the shy side, definitely more introverted. When I was 19, 20-ish, I decided [to overcome my shyness] and start competitive bodybuilding. Anybody that’s seen a competition knows that you’re wearing very little to display the body. I threw myself into the Hollywood scene with acting. And [when] you’re up on stage in acting classes, you’re vulnerable, you’re exposed and all these things [helped] get me out of my default shyness and become more comfortable with myself. After I started to learn and practice yoga, I would then meet more people [who mentioned] naked yoga, so [I was like] “Let’s do it. Let’s see how it goes”.
What’s your favorite food?
I love Thai food. What I usually order at a Thai restaurant would be the Panang Curry or the Green Curry. I don’t think I’ve had a Thai dish that I didn’t like. Of course, I haven’t tried everything. But at some point, I will get to Thailand and I will try everything.
What motto or philosophy do you live by?
I’m doing a little research or an investigation into Stoicism, which I’m finding fascinating. They always mention [doing] things in moderation. I think that’s a good guideline. Too much of anything is not a great thing.
*this interview has been edited for brevity and clarity